Turnabout Ruin
by banjkazfan
Summary: In a shattered world where Kristoph Gavin rules LA and threatens Phoenix Wright's life to stop the uprising rebellion, how can any good remain?  Join Maya Fey as she tries to restore the streets to normalcy while fighting to keep Phoenix alive. AU
1. Meeting in the Dark

**A/N: H**i again guys. This is by no means finished – it's currently a standalone idea until I get more time. Until then, I hope you all enjoy this!

...

**M**aya Fey glanced around the dark streets before steeling her gaze on the black alleyway before her. One last look around to be sure that she was alone, and she slipped into the darkness.

She took a few steps before a voice spoke from the darkness before her. "You can stop right there, pal," a familiar voice whispered. She obliged and stopped, but stood with her weight on her back foot to be prepared for action.

"Where is he?" she spoke lowly, trying to be heard without calling the attention of the people living in the buildings around them. A lantern suddenly lit up, and she briefly saw the silhouette of Detective Gumshoe before he set the lantern on the ground. The small lantern did little to light the alley, but she could at least see their feet. Not that it would do her a lot of good to see those...

She almost didn't have time to react when Gumshoe pushed something at her. It took her a second to realize that he had shoved a _person_ at her, one that she hadn't been able to see previously because of the darkness. Instinctively, she darted forward and caught the stumbling figure. She knelt down to the ground, pulling the man—_yeah, I'm pretty sure this is a man—_with her as she groped for the lantern. Finally grabbing it, she held it up slightly above the man's head to get a better look at him. She bit her lip, forcing herself not to gasp when she saw the face of Phoenix Wright.

He had certainly looked better. His beanie had been taken—_but that was a long time ago,_ she reminded herself—his hoodie was torn, he had no shoes, he was bruised up and covered in cuts, but perhaps most concerning was the confused, dazed look in his eyes that was reminiscent of being drugged. His blue eyes lit up a bit in recognition when he saw her face, but he couldn't say anything to her due to the thick cloth fixed between his teeth; he couldn't even hold her because of how tightly his arms were tied behind his back.

She dropped the lantern and hugged him tightly. "Oh my god, Nick," she whispered, running a comforting hand through his matted, greasy hair. "What have they done to you...?" He closed his eyes in response and nestled into the crook of her neck, trying to memorize her scent and the feel of her skin – he knew it would be a long time before he saw her again.

They shared a quiet moment before Maya heard Gumshoe whisper from the darkness. "Sorry, pal—I can't let him out any longer. We've got to go." He raised his gun up at a high angle, far above Maya's head. "You may want to finish up."

Maya pressed a kiss to Phoenix's forehead. "Stay strong, Nick," she murmured, stroking his face as she looked into his deep blue eyes. "We'll find a way to come for you."

At that moment, Gumshoe fired his gun, piercing the night air with a loud pop. "HEY! You get back here!" he shouted before lowering his voice again. "Go on—get outta here," he muttered. "After that, Gavin'll have the police out here any minute now."

She knew how the arrangement had to work, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. _See Nick illegally for five minutes, have Gumshoe pretend that I'm a hoodlum wandering the streets and call the cops on me...what a life._ Maya stood slowly, helping Phoenix back up to his feet before facing the detective one last time. "Thank you, Detective—you have no idea how much I owe you for this..." Without another word, she turned and dashed off into the night.

Gumshoe shook his head as he watched her go, reaching out and pulling Phoenix back to his side, trying to be gentle so as not to hurt the man any more than he already was. "I'm just sorry it has to come to all this, pal..." he murmured with a heavy sigh, picking up the lantern and carefully leading Phoenix back into the darkness that they had emerged from.

...

**A/N: T**his is only a preview of what I've been working on. I'm hoping to work on it more once things calm down on my end. This may or may not end up being changed, but for now, take it for what you will!

Thanks,  
>Banj<p> 


	2. Appearances and Deception

**A/N: S**orry about the wait for this. Life is so busy. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and alerted this so far!

...

**M**aya didn't stop running until after the door of her loft was shut and locked behind her. She fell back against the door, breathing heavily and trying not to cry. She took a moment to calm herself before calling into the darkness of the loft. "Sis...I'm home..."

"I'll be right out," Mia Fey's voice rang out from the back bedroom. When she finally emerged, she took in the sight of her sister slumped against their door and eyed her with concern. "Maya...what happened out there?"

Maya took a shaky breath before looking up at Mia. "Gumshoe..." was all she managed to say before Mia cut in.

"Did anyone see you?" Mia asked, kneeling next to Maya.

"Only Gumshoe," Maya replied automatically; this conversation was nothing new.

"You're absolutely sure?" Mia gave her sister a look that was a mixture of skepticism and worry.

"I'm absolutely sure." Maya sighed heavily. Her hair, wet from the rain, dripped down the back of her yukata as she put her head between her knees. There was a moment of silence before Maya spoke again. "...Gumshoe let me see him tonight."

Mia didn't react other than to ask how Phoenix had looked - she knew who Maya meant without asking.

"He...he looks bad, sis..." Maya said, choking up a little as she spoke. "His clothes are torn, his shoes are missing, and his hair's all matted and greasy and tangled...h-he's covered in cuts and bruises...he was tied up when Gumshoe pushed him at me, and it looked like they'd drugged him not long before I saw him." She grit her teeth, desperately trying not to let tears fall in front of her sister.

"Did he say anything to you?" Mia asked gently, rubbing Maya's shoulders.

Maya laughed bitterly. "No. They had him gagged too. I can't figure out why; Gumshoe must have explained why he was taking him out...he knew Nick wouldn't have..."

"Deception," Mia spoke firmly. "I'm sure in order to take him anywhere, he has to keep up appearances. It isn't pleasant, but...honestly, Maya, I'm sure that Phoenix didn't know why he was being taken out. You know that Gumshoe saying anything to him would have only ended in disaster. Somebody would have heard, and then...well...I'm sure Gumshoe wouldn't have told him why."

Maya didn't reply to that. She knew that things had to operate differently in this dystopic world, but she still hated all of the smoke and mirrors. Suddenly, the memory of Phoenix nestling into the crook of her neck flooded her mind, and her breath hitched in her throat. Despite her hopes, this didn't escape Mia's notice.

"Maya," she murmured, brushing her sister's hair out of her face. "Did something else happen out there?"

Maya waited a moment before her reveal. "...I held him in my arms," she whispered. "It...was awful, sis...he looked so scared, until...until he saw my face..." She let out a little sob, and Mia pulled the young spirit medium into a hug. "He buried his face in my neck, and...oh _God, _sis, I just wanted to grab him and run!" She broke into full-out tears, sobs shaking her small frame as she held Mia tightly, not unlike how she had held Phoenix in that darkened alley.

Mia's grip around her sister tightened at that. "You would have signed your own death warrant," she murmured, trying to be gentle while making herself understood. "They would have killed you both, Maya."

"I know," Maya whimpered. "But...sis..." She pulled back and stared into Mia's eyes. "...I was so desperate...I honestly wouldn't have cared." Though her lip quivered as she spoke, her gaze never wavered. "If I could have him here with me, even one more day—I would have been happy to die for that."

"Don't talk like that," Mia spoke harshly as she gripped Maya's shoulders. "You know Phoenix would never forgive you if he heard you say those things. And imagine if Pearl heard you say that..."

"Well..." Maya glanced away helplessly, knowing that she had overstepped a line. "She won't. I make myself smile when you're away."

Mia absently brushed Maya's bangs aside again. "Maya...I understand. When Diego..." Suddenly her voice thickened and she found herself having to brush tears away. "Well. I know what it's like, to wish you could die just to be with someone..." She smiled, albeit a little bitterly. "I know I never would have chosen death for myself. But in my darkest moments..." Mia trailed off, shaking her head and wiping her tears—tears for her former lover, for her former apprentice, and for her sister. "Well, I can understand how it could be an appealing option."

They sat together in silence for a few moments before Mia spoke. "Why don't we head off to bed," she murmured. "Pearl won't be able to channel me for much longer tonight, and you need your rest after all that."

Maya just nodded numbly, slowly getting to her feet. Her feet had fallen asleep while she sat, and it took her a moment to regain her balance as the blood rushed back into them. Mia just smiled a bit and waited for her before they walked back into the darkness of the loft.

Their bedroom was a hidden room, behind a sliding wall in the hall closet. This was mostly for the protection that it would provide were their house to be stormed in a sudden attack, something that was known to happen in their neighborhood. Just the evening before, their neighbors on the floor below had had their apartment raided, in an attempt to "weed out the rebels". Maya always felt guilty, knowing that she was the one that Kristoph's police were looking for, but she couldn't just give up – not when she knew that she had a chance to save Phoenix.

_It's a good thing that Kristoph likes to stay out of the slums, or I'd-_

Maya clenched her fists angrily as she pulled back the covers and crawled onto the futon.

"Pearl's getting tired," Mia murmured, settling in next to her sister. "You remember what to tell her?"

Maya nodded tiredly. "Everything's working out fine. We heard from Nick...things are going really w-well in Germany...and he might even be able to come home soon..." She bit her lip, willing away the lump in her throat.

Mia gave her a sad smile. "I know it's hard, Maya. But you know I'll be back in the morning. We'll figure out what to do."

Maya nestled up against her sister before giving a muffled "I know." Mia only smiled a bit and stroked Maya's hair.

It was only a few minutes later that Maya felt Mia's form fade away, replaced by Pearl's small body in her arms. She opened her eyes and forced herself to smile for her cousin. "Welcome back, Pearly," she said.

Pearl yawned and smiled sweetly. "Hi Mystic Maya." Her eyes lit up a bit as she pushed herself to a sitting position. "How is your misison going? Did you hear from Mr. Nick today?"

Maya felt her eyes welling up at her cousin's words. Even at 16, Pearl was still so young and trusting—she believed that Maya, Mia, and Phoenix were all on some sort of "secret mission" that required her to channel Mia daily. Maya simply couldn't bear to let Pearl see what kind of world they lived in now, and felt that having her channel her sister was a better alternative than any other. At least then, they had another ally.

But she made herself smile a little wider as she spoke. "Actually, yeah, Pearly—we did. Things are going really well in Germany—he said that he might even be able to come home soon..."

Pearl smiled broadly at this. "Yay! I really miss Mr. Nick. So he and Mr. Edgeworth have been working together on this mission?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, I think so—but he can't tell me too much about what's going on at his end, so I don't push."

"That's nice." Pearl's eyes drooped a bit as the rain did a hypnotizing dance on the roof. "I'm really tired, Mystic Maya...I'm going to go to sleep, okay?"

"Alright Pearly." Maya lovingly stroked her cousin's hair, which now fell down past her shoulders. "I kinda miss your pretzel hair," she murmured, almost to herself.

Pearl giggled sleepily. "It got too time-consuming to do," she admitted as she lay down on the futon.

They shared a quiet goodnight before Maya turned away to go to sleep. Once Pearl was sure her cousin's breath was heavy with sleep, she sighed and turned away as well, closing her hand around the Magatama tucked away in her robes.

Pearl figured it was better not to push Maya, just as Maya claimed not to push Phoenix about his part of the mission. _She keeps her secrets for a reason. I just wonder what she's hiding under all of her Psyche-Locks...and why she doesn't want me to know._

Just as Pearl drifted off to sleep, she could swear that she heard Maya whimper "Nick".

...

**A/N: I** don't know when I'll get to update this again - within the next two weeks, I hope. Comments, criticism, feedback - all are welcome! Bring 'em on :D


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